Skittle-table



No. 6||,398. Patentedsept. 27, |898,

' w. STEPHEN.

SKITTL'E TABLE.

(Application led Jan. 3, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

wamffa Jn/Q m",

me mums News cc., PNQTQLWMQ. WASHINGTON, u. r:4

No. 6|l,398. Patented sept. 27, |898. w. STEPHEN. SKITTLE TABLE.

(Application filed Jan. 3, 1898.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

of section 2.

UNITED STATES APATENTl OFFICE.

WENZEL STEPHEN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SKITTLE-TAB LE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,398, datedseptember 27, 1898. Appncseon nea January 3,1898. serial No. 665,4(57.(No modera To all whom t may concern! Be it known that I, WENZELSTEPHEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSkittle-Tables, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in skittle-tables; and itconsists in the novel construction of table to be more fully set forthin the specification and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure lis a top plan view of the table. Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionon line 4 4of Fig. l, and Fig. 5 is a front end view.

The object of my invention is to construct a table for playing the gameof ninepins, the latter being tripped or knocked down by a billiard-ballinitially impelled through a conduit or tubeway by a cue and then as itemerges from the conduit being properly deiiected toward the ninepinsset up at the upper end of the table. In detail the invention may bedescribed as follows;

Referring to the drawings, l represents a preferably oblong table orboard bounded on its longitudinal sides and at the end by a conduit ortubewaythe walls of which are raised a suitable distance above the planeof the table to prevent the ninepins and the ball from rolling off thetable. The conduit is composed of the longitudinal sections 2 2 and thecurved or substantially semicircular connecting-section 2" and issubstantially square in cross-section. The front or open end of thesection 2 terminates at a point adjacent to the front edge of the table,said open end being in advance of the open end The open end of thesection 2 is inclined to the general longitudinal axis of the conduit,the outer edge of said inclined end forming a continuation of a curvedwall 3, Whose inner vertical face is a continuation of the inner surfaceof the outer wall of the conduit-section 2. The vertical inner face ofthewall 3 approaches the front edge of the table, thence terminates inan inner projecting arm 4, whose inner face is provided with acushioning-strip of rubber 5,v the position of said arm andcushioning-strip being such that the axis of the ball 6 when restingagainst the strip is substantially in line with' the middle longitudinalline of the table, or

that line along which are stationed the first and last of the row ofninepins 7 placed at the upper end of the table. In front of the openend of the section 2 and disposed parallel to the front edge of the`table and between the continuation of the outer wall of said sectionand the adjacent vertical wall of the arm 4 is a ledge or strip 8,against which either the cue 9 or the hand of the operator can berested, said ledge further serving to prevent the accidental rolling offof the billiard-ball. The arrows fully indicate the path described bythe ball, and the result of the game greatly depends on the impetusoriginally imparted to said ball, since it is on this impetus that theamount of deflection of the ball striking the cushioning-strip 5depends. As best seen in Figs. l and 3, the end of the inner wall of thesection 2 is beveled toward the table at 10, so that the ball, i

should it happen to hug the inner surface of said wall as it is runningthrough the conduit, may be better guided against the curved wall 3.This construction prevents the ricocheting of the ball at the mouth ofthe conduit, thereby insuring free clearance of the ball at that pointas it is being discharged in the direction of and impinges against thecurved wall 3. Should the ball accidentally stop in the conduit byreason of insufcient impetus given thereto by the player, a second ballmust be used to drive the other one out. The results of the game arerestricted, however, to the number of ninepins knocked down by a singleball.

The upper or cue-supporting surface of the strip S is in a plane belowthe upper wall of the conduit, thereby enabling the player to strike theball squarely-that is to say, in a line parallel to the direction inwhich the ball is to be impelled. It is for this reason that the cushionof thetable is omitted infront of the strip.

IOO

pin-supporting board, a conduit or tubeway bounding two longitudinalsides and the rear curved end of l[he board, and having walls raisedabove the plane thereof, the open end of one of the longitudinal sidesor sections of the conduit being in advance of the opposite side orsection, a curved wall forming a continuation of the inner surface ofthe outer Wall of said opposite section, the open end of said oppositesection being inclined to the plane of the outer wall thereof to preventricocheting of the ball at that point, an inwardly-projecting armforming tion of said curved Wall, a cushioninglstrip against which theball impinges carried by said arm, the delecting-surface of said stripbeing to one side of the medial longitudinal line of the board adistance approximately equal to J[he radius of the play-ball, whereby acontinuathe aXis of said ball when resting against said strip is in linewith said longitudinal line of the board, and a ledge or strip locatedadjacent to the open end of one of the longitudinal sides of the conduitinterposed between the arm and the adjacent side of the table for thesupport of the hand and cue, the supporting-surface of the strip beingbelow the plane of the upper Wall of the conduit,Where by the cue can bedirected against the ball in Ya lplane substantially parallel to the bedof the table, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

VVENZEL STEPHEN.

Vitnesses:

EMIL STAREK, IELAN W. CAREY.

